NRL looks to seal broadcast deal for two Friday night games
Rugby league fans would get access to two live Friday night games under a proposed NRL-Fox Sports broadcast deal.
Rugby league fans would have access to two live Friday night games under a proposed broadcast deal designed to break a negotiating deadlock between the NRL and pay-TV channel Fox Sports.
The proposal involves Fox Sports broadcasting a 6pm Friday night game, which would be often played in Auckland, Brisbane or Townsville, while free-to-air network Channel Nine would televise an 8pm game.
Under the deal, which is in the early stages of being considered, Fox could secure as many as five live games, which could deliver the NRL $1.85 billion, including the free-to-air and digital rights.
An agreement for the pay-TV rights is expected in coming weeks. The deal would be contingent on Nine giving up its Saturday prime-time game to Fox, which is owned by The Australian’s publisher, News Corporation, for about $30 million a year, or $150m over five years.
Nine declined to comment.
It is understood the free-to-air network has not been approached with the proposal yet. But Nine is believed to be open to selling games to cut its NRL spending.
Fox lost its prime-time Saturday game when the NRL signed a $925m free-to-air deal with Nine, which gave it the four best matches of the round.
The deal was originally considered a good result for the NRL but it alienated Fox and was later trumped by the AFL, which secured $2.5bn in total over six years.
The massive gap in value between AFL and NRL rights, as well as growing tension with News Corp, is believed to have triggered former NRL chief executive David Smith’s resignation last month.
Former Nine chief executive David Gyngell, who handed over to new boss Hugh Marks this week, signed the NRL deal.
Fox also lost its exclusive Monday night NRL game in the recent deal.
Fox will not buy the NRL pay-TV rights without reclaiming the prime-time Saturday night match.
Fox would also pay Nine about $15m a year for the simulcast rights to screen Nine’s Thursday, Friday and Sunday games under the deal.
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